Artifacts Collection

Atlantic County Veterans Museum Committee is seeking artifacts for its collection.

If you are interested in donating an artifact to the Atlantic County Veterans Museum’s collection, please read below for more information. Currently, the museum’s storage is almost at capacity, so it is imperative to either email or call first to see if there is a need.

Types of Artifacts

We are always looking for artifacts with a good story and a local connection!

We are seeking items attributed to the military service of citizens of Atlantic County through all conflicts and branches of service. This includes items of unique historical significance or those tied to important historical event or battles. Artifacts with direct connection to area veterans including photographs, supporting service documentation, and/or a personal account of any length are particularly desired. If the museum acquires multiple artifacts of a similar type, the museum's holdings will be judged based on the quality of the item and quality of its provenance.

US Military Arms From All Conflicts

Donations and/or loans of firearms and weapons from US military branches, those captured in battle from our nation's foes, as well as those from Allied nations will be considered. Please contact the museum to discuss prior to bringing this type of artifact in, to ensure there is a need and that the correct protocol is followed.

Uniforms/Field Equipment

The museum currently has a sufficient collection of military uniforms from WWI to the present. Depending on the condition, the museum will consider accepting uniforms that pre-date WWI. The museum is in need of footwear covering all conflicts/eras (boots, shoes, etc.) that have been worn (weathered).

Medals and Insignia

US military decorations worn in all eras by all branches including National Guard service. Medals and insignia can be utilized for various purposes. If you submit them in a shadow box, we may disassemble the box to make better use of the individual medals.

Flags

US service and unit flags of all eras; unique flags (e.g. 13-star flag). If possible, please include the significance and stories about the flag(s).

We are no longer accepting personal flags or flags folded in triangle display cases.

Large Pieces of Military Equipment

At this time, we cannot accept large size military items (tanks, vehicles, field guns, airplanes, etc.) for outside display but are interested in receiving information and images about such objects for future consideration of exterior exhibits.

Ephemera

Storage space is limited, please contact the museum prior to donating wartime ephemera, such as brochures, postcards, leaflets, programs, theater tickets and souvenirs.

The museum will determine if there is a need.

Non-fiction Books and Periodicals

Books and periodicals on Korea and WWI, as well as current conflicts, and ones of particular note to the veterans of the County and their service accounts are sought. We will not be accepting books on WWI and Vietnam, as we do have a sufficient collection at this time.

Please send a list of the titles you wish to donate prior to bringing books to the museum.

Newspapers/News Articles

The Museum is collecting only a limited amount of Home Front newspapers and those of local interest are preferred. Most large newspapers are available on microfilm on-line if needed. Post-war features, Internet and other published articles not directly related to the family or veteran's wartime experiences are only accepted when accompanied by other original period wartime materials.

Please contact the museum prior to bringing newspapers to the museum to determine need.

Photographs, Letters and Journals

Please make the copies you need before donating the originals. (Note: Photocopies, low-quality copies and Internet printouts are not suitable library or museum donations on their own. They can, however, be used to backup personal information and to establish provenance.)

Scrapbooks

As each scrapbook is unique, they are evaluated for acquisition individually, for the personal story they tell of those who experienced our nation's conflicts. We are not interested in scrapbooks full of clippings that do not directly relate to a veteran. We do accept newspaper clippings specifically related to a veteran. We might disassemble scrapbooks in a manner consistent with preservation methods; the original structure will be preserved through photocopies.

Note: Please do not assemble archival materials into a scrapbook before donating.

Military Artwork

Original artwork or high quality prints with signatures/autographs which are in museum quality condition are acceptable.

Personal Accounts

We will accept personal oral histories recorded on disk or flash drive, as well as histories in print. We no longer accept content on VHS or cassette tape.

Film

Efforts will be made to transfer the film to a stable digital format, which might result in the loss of the original film; nitrate film will be transferred if possible then discarded for the safety of the collection.

Prior to donating a film, please send us titles and a photo of the canister to determine need.

FAQs about Donating to the Veterans Museum

Appraisals

A professional appraisal is required if you wish to have a monetary value placed on the donated item, especially for tax purposes. The museum does not provide this service. The Internal Revenue Service considers such activity by a 501c(3) a conflict of interest. Appraisals must be conducted prior to donating artifact(s) to the museum. It is also important, for your records, to ensure the artifact(s) are photographed, photocopied or scanned prior to donating to the museum. The museum cannot provide these services.

The following agencies can offer assistance in finding professional appraisers:

Appraisers Association of America, Inc.
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 2000
New York, NY 10016
(212) 889-5404 Ext. 10
aaa@appraisersassoc.org

American Society of Appraisers
PO Box 17265
Washington, DC 20041
(703) 478-2228
asainfo@appraisers.org

Taking Care of Your Collection

Professional Conservators

To obtain information on what conservators do, a search of conservators in the region or a pamphlet on selecting a conservator, contact:

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
1717 K St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006
(202) 452-9545
info@conservation-us.org

Online Conservation Resources

Conservation OnLine is operated by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation and contains links to preservation and conservation practices from many sources including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian and numerous museums throughout the world.

Northeast Document Conservation Center provides information on paper and photograph conservation.